Robert Newman (sexton)
Encyclopedia
Robert Newman was an American
sexton
at the Old North Church
in Boston, Massachusetts. He is considered a Patriot
in the American Revolution
for hanging lanterns in his church's steeple
on April 18, 1775, part of a warning signal
devised by Paul Revere
during the Battles of Lexington and Concord
.
John Pulling and Thomas Bernard, who assisted him with the signal. Bernard served as a lookout while Pulling and Newman went to the belfry
, the tallest structure in the area. Using a code devised by Revere, Newman hung two lanterns in the church's belfry to warn Patriots that the British were about to descend upon Lexington by via the Charles River
. The signal was spotted across the river, and allies began spreading the word. He said he had given the keys to Pulling, and when they went to question Pulling, he had already escaped to Nantucket, where he remained until it was safe to return. Newman returned home after the signal was set, and though he was later arrested, nothing could be proven against him.
Newman continued in the position until his death. The famous steeple was toppled by a Snow Hurricane of 1804 in the fall after Newman died. He was survived by his second wife, Mary Hammon, whom he married in 1790. He is buried at Copp's Hill Burying Ground
in Boston. His collected letters were published on the bicentennial of his signal, in 1975.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sexton
Sexton (office)
A sexton is a church, congregation or synagogue officer charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard. In smaller places of worship, this office is often combined with that of verger...
at the Old North Church
Old North Church
Old North Church , at 193 Salem Street, in the North End of Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent...
in Boston, Massachusetts. He is considered a Patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
for hanging lanterns in his church's steeple
Steeple
Steeple may refer to:Placenames* Steeple, County Antrim, a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland* Steeple, Dorset, a hamlet in south Dorset, England* Steeple, Essex, a very small village in south Essex, England...
on April 18, 1775, part of a warning signal
Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War
Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War was essentially monitored and sanctioned by the Continental Congress to provide military intelligence to the Continental Army to aid them in fighting the British during the American Revolutionary War...
devised by Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
during the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
.
Life and career
Newman had become sexton of Christ Church, now known as Old North Church, in 1772. He lived with his mother in 1775, and she was renting part of their home to British officers. After pretending to go to bed on the night of April 18, Newman snuck out of his house undetected by the officers and joined vestrymanVestryman
A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body. He is not a member of the clergy.In England especially, but also in other parts of The United Kingdom, Parish Councils have long been a level of local government rather than being solely ecclesiastical in nature...
John Pulling and Thomas Bernard, who assisted him with the signal. Bernard served as a lookout while Pulling and Newman went to the belfry
Belfry
The term belfry has a variety of uses:*Bell tower, an architectural term*Belfry, a type of medieval siege tower*Belfry, Montana, a town in the United States*The Belfry, an English golf club...
, the tallest structure in the area. Using a code devised by Revere, Newman hung two lanterns in the church's belfry to warn Patriots that the British were about to descend upon Lexington by via the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
. The signal was spotted across the river, and allies began spreading the word. He said he had given the keys to Pulling, and when they went to question Pulling, he had already escaped to Nantucket, where he remained until it was safe to return. Newman returned home after the signal was set, and though he was later arrested, nothing could be proven against him.
Newman continued in the position until his death. The famous steeple was toppled by a Snow Hurricane of 1804 in the fall after Newman died. He was survived by his second wife, Mary Hammon, whom he married in 1790. He is buried at Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground is a historic cemetery in Boston. It was originally named "North Burying Ground".-History:The cemetery was founded on February 20, 1659, when the town bought land on Copp's Hill from John Baker and Daniel Turell to start the "North Burying Ground"...
in Boston. His collected letters were published on the bicentennial of his signal, in 1975.